Cam-actuated plier wrench with wedge adjustment



Feb. s, 1949;

' E. s. HANsoN, ,JR

CAM-ACTUATED PLIER WRENCH WITH WEDGE ADJUSTMENT Filed Aug. 26,\V 1946 Patented Feb. 8, "1949 UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE CAM-ACTUATED PLIER WRENCH WITH WEDGE ADJUSTMENT 3 Claims.

This invention pertains to a tool which` partakes of the nature of both a wrench and pinchers or pliers and as a consequence can well be re- 'ferred to as a plier-wrench.

The primary object of the invention is the pro Y vision of a tool closely similar to a pair of pliers or pinchers but which operates in a manner to clamp an article more tightly and rigidly than the article could be normally clamped by a conventional pair of pliers.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a tool the construction and operation of which issimple, which can be manufactured comparatively cheap, and yet is highly efficient in operation and is durable in normal usage.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means for adjusting the tool to clamp articles of different sizes and diameters.

Other objects, novel features of construction and improved results of the invention will appear from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top View of the tool.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation a portion of the figure being broken away and being shown in Vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 with the tool being adjusted to clamp an article of small size or thickness.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated by arrow.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the inventive concept and utilizing like characters and reference numerals to designate similar parts throughout the description, A designates the main handle of the tool and at its outer end is provided with a scrrated jaw l which is similar in construction to one of the jaws of a conventional pair of pliers. The inner end 2 of the handle is hollow and terminates in an inner open end which is closed by a sleeve B which telescopically receives the inner handle end and is freely rotatable thereon. The end 3` of the sleeve carries or has rigidly attached thereto a plug 4 which is disposed interiorly of the handle and is prevented from outward movement by the inturned ends 5 of the inner end of the handle. This plug is provided'with a central interiorly threaded bore 6 which threadedly receives the threaded end l of the rod-like portion 8 of the plunger C the inner end of which is V-shaped as at 9.

. extending cam shaped end 23.

Intermediate its length the handle A is of a U- shape in cross section, as clearly appears in Fig. 4.

The upper jaw D of the tool is pivoted as at lil intermediate its length between the upstanding side walls il and lZof the U-shaped portion of the handle. A pair of rearwardly extending arms i3 and iii one each of which is disposed at the sides of the jaw D and within the handle have their forward ends pivotally supported on the pivot lil of the jaw D while their rear ends are rearwardly and upwardly tapered at at l5. and bear upon the upper tapered face I@ of the inner V-shaped end 9 of the plunger C. A coil spring E connected to the upper jaw D rearwardly of its pivotal support and to the main handle tends normally to separate the serrated jaw portion il of the upper jaw from the like portion of the lower jaw. The secondary handle F of the tool has an elongated rearwardlyextending hand engaging portion i8 and a forwardly and downwardly eX- tending portion i9 terminating in'an upwardly .This handle is pivoted as at 2l between the arms i3 and I4 at a point adjacent but inboard of the rear tapered ends l5 of said arms.

The upper jaw D has a rearwardly extending end 22 the under surface of which is curved to form a cam face 23 which is normally held in engagement Vwith the cam end 2li of thevsecondary handle by the tension of the coil spring E.

In operation the tool works similarly to a pair of pliers or pinchers. By moving the main and secondary handles toward one another the jaws of the tool are forced towards one another to clamp between them an article or object such asY a small pipe or hollow pin 213 as illustrated in Fig. 2. This article can be very rigidly clamped, similarly to the manner in which it could be clamped by a wrench, due to the heavyclamping action4 ticle or object such, as a sheet 25, see Fig. 3, is

the pivot IU. Elevation of the arms elevate the 3 pivot point 2l of the secondary cani carrying handle F with the result that the cam action between the handle F and the jaw D is now suiiicient to move the jaw D downwardly towards the jaw I a suiicient distance to clamp and lock a small or thin article between the jaws.

The adjustment is always made such that the final clamping action is obtained when the topmost portion 26 of the cam is on the end v21 of the camway 23 with the result that when the upper secondary handle is brought down to or approximately against the lower main handle the jaws are locked in clamped relationship upon the article between them.

I claim:

1. In a tool, a rigid main handle having a iixed jaw at one end thereof, an opposed jaw pivotally mounted on the main handle, a pair of rearwardly extending arms pivotally mounted on the pivot of said pivoted jaw, a secondary handle pivotally mounted between the free ends of said arms and provided with a cam, a cam surface on the pivoted jaw, resilient means holding said cam surface in engagement with the cam, a reciprocable plunger interior of the main handle and provided with means to engage said arms to elevate the same, and rotatable means exterior of the main handle for reciprocating said plunger to raise said arms and the pivot point of the secondary` handle.

2. In a tool, a rigid main handle having a fixed jaw, said handle having upwardly extending spaced side Walls, a pivot pin extending through said side walls, a movable jaw supported on said pivot pin cooperating with the xed jawv Vin gripping an article, and provided at the under side of its rear end with a cam surface, a pair of rearwardly extending spaced yarms pivotally supported on said pivot pin, a secondary handle pivotally supported between the rear ends of said arms and provided with a cam, resilient means holding the cam surface of the pivoted Y jaw in engagement with the cam, the rear ends of said arms provided with a beveled surface, a longitudinally reciprocable plunger interior of the rigid arm and provided with a beveled end adapted to engage the beveled ends of said arms, and rotatable means exterior of themain arm for reciprocating said plunger to elevate said arms.

3. In a tool, a rigid main handle having a rigid jaw, said handle having oppositely disposed side walls, a pivot pin extending between said side walls and pivotally supporting a movable jaw cooperating with the fixed jaw in gripping an article, said movable jaw having a rearwardly extending end the under face of which is provided with a cam surface, said rigid handle being hollow, a pair of spaced rearwardly extending arms pivotally supported at their front ends on said pivot pin and having beveled rear ends normally disposed within the hollow portion of the rigid handle, a secondary handle pivotally supported between the free ends of said arms and provided with a cam, resilient means holding the cam surface of the movable jaw in engagement with said cam, a reciprocable plunger within the hollow rigid handle provided with a beveled end adapted to engage the beveled ends of said arms, a sleeve exterior of the main handle and rotatable thereon and provided interiorly of the handle with va rotatable interiorly threaded nut, said plunger provided with an exteriorly threaded end threadedly engaging said nut, and rotation of said sleeve and nut acting to reciprocate the said plunger.

EDWARD S. HANSON, Jn.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PAENTS Number Name Date 449,627 McNair Mar, 31, 1891 750,308 Sawyer Jan. 26, i904 

